Climber Evaluation

During the evaluation, Dr. Jared Vagy, Doctor of Physical Therapy, will assess your mobility, muscle strength, movement and climbing technique to give you a personal blueprint of your body, identifying all asymmetries and imbalances. He will compile the information into a program of corrective exercises and movement retraining. This physical therapy assessment will help you rehabilitate and prevent injury so that you can climb harder without getting hurt.

Jared Vagy has an extremely high workload. It is for this reason that he accepts a limited number of private therapy clients each month. To inquire about rates and availability please contact: Jared@theclimbingdoctor.com

Professional Climber Testimonials

Jared Vagy has worked with many of the top professional climbers in the world. Their feedback has been instrumental in developing the highest quality injury prevention, rehabilitation and performance training system.

Sasha Digiulian – World Champion Climber

The evaluation detailed the fine specifics of my climbing technique and related it to my strengths and weaknesses. It was really useful. I can totally feel what Dr. Vagy says about how my muscles have imbalances. So seeing that and thinking how I can apply the information to my own climbing was key. The evaluation gives awareness to what you are doing right and wrong and will help you seek gains in your own performance.

Hazel Findlay: First British Woman to Climb a Trad Route at E9

Working with Dr. Vagy has been really beneficial for my shoulder! The remote consultation is extremely helpful in understanding the nature of your injury and learning exactly how to fix it. It’s perfect for people who travel because it doesn’t require continuous visits to the Physio and gives you a targeted plan of exercises which can be done anywhere. It is very scientific. For every exercise you’re guided through the mechanisms of the body so you not only know what to do but also understand how the exercise is helping you.

Mayan Gobat-Smith: Women’s Speed Record on The Nose

The remote consultation would be a huge benefit to climbers to learn to use your body more efficiently. Gaining strength in a more balanced way to promote long-term health and help prevent injury. The videos made the remote consultation very interactive. I thought it was excellent, above my exceptions for sure!

Felipe Camargo: V15 Boulderer

The evaluation was amazing! I had previously seen a ton of different people who had treated my injury. And I had gotten better, but it kept coming back. Through a series of different tests, Doctor Vagy was able to identify what was causing the injury. And now that that I know the source of it, I can better work on fixing it.

Josh Levin: 19 Time Youth National Champion

There are no other evaluations in the United States that give as full of a picture of climbing than with Dr. Vagy. You learn exactly what is needed to stay healthy in the long-term. A climber of any level can benefit from this evaluation no matter if you’re just starting out or are a seasoned pro who’s been climbing for most of their life. I highly recommend Dr. Vagy if you are seeking to boost your climbing performance beyond the traditional training realm.

Jonathan Siegrist – 5.15 Sport Climber

The evaluation was a thorough, hands on investigation into my bodies imbalances and strengths and weaknesses. It gave me answers and suggestions for moving forward as an athlete. Dr. Vagy is a knowledgeable consultant with a clearly enormous understanding of movement and the athletic body. It has really made a difference in my climbing. Dr. Vagy was hugely helpful. I attribute a lot of the knowledge he helped me out with to my success this year climbing.

Brooke Raboutou: Olympian

I learned a ton from working with Dr. Vagy. His analysis was spot on. He assessed my flexibility, strength and movement patterns, then related it to my climbing technique. Understanding my body’s imbalances was extremely helpful but learning how they specifically related to climbing was invaluable. What I learned can help me push my limits climbing without getting hurt.

Mike Anderson: Rock Prodigy Training Method

To have an in-person evaluation from Dr. Vagy was very helpful and I feel fortunate to have that opportunity. He is a climber and the expert in Physical Therapy for climbing injuries. As a result, he knows how to target detailed assessments specifically to climbing. At my age for as long as I have been climbing, I’m looking for any way to improve and Dr. Vagy was able to identify a huge potential area for me and I’m now super psyched to work on that.

Peter Croft: Climbing Legend

I just had the good fortune to visit with Dr Vagy – and I arrived with a head-full of questions. Even in the simplest of objectives it is surprisingly easy to get it wrong – learning to tie a knot, for instance. Human anatomy is head-swimmingly complex and, for the climber, the balancing act between fitness and injury can seem like a tightrope above a snapping-gator pond. Dr Vagy’s evaluation helped me understand the why’s and what-to-do’s, turning that frightening chaos into a straight forward path. While his inside-out knowledge of how our bodies allow us to do crazy stuff is mind blowing – his ability to fine tune and apply that information to the individual is where the magic happens.
Dan Mirsky: 5.14c First Ascensionist

Dr. Vagy does an excellent job of analyzing and presenting a cohesive picture how your body works and doesn’t work, your movement patterns, muscle imbalances. He helps you to achieve an understanding about the connectivity of your body so you can fix problems in, heal injuries, improve strength and flexibility all in a truly effective longterm way.

Who Can Benefit?

Anyone who has suffered from an injury, looking for physical therapy for rock climbing, or wants to prevent injury or is looking to take their climbing to the next level.

What Should I Expect During the Evaluation?

  • Interview: A complete patient interview is conducted to determine your mechanism of injury, medical history, rehabilitative needs and goals.
  • Determine the source: A thorough assessment of the mobility of your joints, the strength and flexibility of your muscles and the integrity of your neuro and vascular system is carried out. It is in this stage that the source of your problem is identified.
  • Determine the cause: The clinical information obtained during the exam is factored into components of your patient history and your specific movement patterns to determine the causative and contributing reasons for your problem.
  • Develop your plan: A treatment plan is developed incorporating your goals, the pain source and the causative and contributing factors that are leading to your problem. Dr. Jared Vagy DPT will sit down with you and discuss your individual goals. With your input, he will work to develop an injury prevention plan that is specifically designed to meet your needs.

What Should I Expect During Follow-up Visits?

Depending on your specific needs one or all of these treatments will be included:
  • Manual Therapy: Joint Mobilization, Soft Tissue Massage and Mobilization and Stretching
  • Therapeutic Exercise: Endurance, Strength and Power training
  • Taping and Bracing: Kinesiotape, Leukotape and Athletic Tape
  • Neuromuscular Re-education: Balance, Coordination and Dynamic training

What if I Don’t Live in the Los Angeles Area?

If you are unable to travel to Los Angeles but live in California, Utah, or Colorado and would like to consult with The Climbing Doctor, remote consultation is an option. Reach out to Jared@theclimbingdoctor.com for additional information.

What if I Don’t Live in California, Utah, or Colorado

To access a list of medical providers who treat climbers, you can visit the Rock Rehab Community page, scroll to the bottom, and click on “Click Here to See a List of All Accepted Members.” It’s important to note that Jared Vagy does not endorse or guarantee the providers on the list in terms of their clinical skill and experience. However, the list was developed as a resource to offer the climbing community a broader network of medical providers who specialize in treating climbers.

How Do I Get Started?

Jared Vagy has an extremely high workload. It is for this reason that he accepts a limited number of private therapy clients each month. To inquire about rates and availability please contact: Jared@theclimbingdoctor.com

What Are Climbers Saying?

  • Check out reviews below from climbers who have had private therapy from The Climbing Doctor.
Giuliana Pignatello
Giuliana Pignatello
2023-11-08
In addition to a thorough evaluation that includes review of patient climbing technique and detailed medical/injury history, Dr. Vagy also conducts finger force testing, an ultrasound, as well as exercises and a protocol designed specifically for the patient. He also allows plenty of time for questions and explanations, including follow-up questions…which parents especially appreciate. - Allison Pignatello
Tommy Taylor
Tommy Taylor
2023-11-03
You can't beat an in person analysis of a climbing injury. So often people turn to the internet to self-diagnose and can sometimes regress or stagnate in their recovery. I'm confident now after my in person session that I have all the tools I need to recover and get back to progressing my climbing.
Marcus Wong
Marcus Wong
2023-10-25
Compared to other PTs and physicians, Jared has a very good understanding of and experience with climbing specific injuries. This allows him to identify patterns in my movements (from video and in-person testing) to show how I can prevent re-injury while undergoing rehab. For those who have a climbing injury, it is worth the time to visit someone who is well experienced in this niche field of climbing injuries and rehab.
Brendan Zotto
Brendan Zotto
2023-10-22
I think very often when we push our bodies towards the path of steady or even aggressive progression we lose sight of how sensitive some parts of our bodies are. Jared helps you continue to maintain your fitness and climbing goals while also helping you understand the damage and mitigation required to continue being an athlete. Seeing him for my finger injury was the single most important thing I have done for my personal athletic progression in the past year.
Mac Muir
Mac Muir
2023-10-05
As much research as you think you can do online, it is always better to assess your direct needs by consulting a trained practitioner. I've done loads of research on my own regarding my injuries, but I always get more from an appointment with someone that has experience and a deep understanding of the human body.
Tarou Seki
Tarou Seki
2023-10-02
The evaluation is very comprehensive and most importantly, he listens to what you have to say and takes your experience/input very seriously. I was shocked by how much I didn't know about my body, but I left the evaluation with so much knowledge that I am confident that I will come back a stronger climber.
Jeff Willis
Jeff Willis
2023-09-26
Sabrina Hetzel
Sabrina Hetzel
2023-08-24
The evaluation provided a clear understanding not only of my injury and its impact on movement, but surrounding implications throughout the body. Jared supported explanations with visuals and tactile feedback ensuring complete understanding. Inclusion of live and comparison videos throughout the evaluation were especially helpful given my poor proprioception both on and off the wall. The program is comprehensive yet simplistic and easy to follow.
Madigan Carroll
Madigan Carroll
2023-07-17
I had a very positive experience overall. I felt heard, I felt that there was a dialog and that was one of the more valuable parts of the session. Having clarity about the questions I had was super important. Additionally, Jared is highly clearly highly competent, and was able to identify areas of weakness and design a plan to address them and help me with my injury.
Victoria Orolfo
Victoria Orolfo
2023-07-14
I really appreciate Jared's professionalism and emphasis on using the client's words/terminology to make things easier to digest and remember (ie T-pose lol). His studio space is super friendly to climbers and really adds to his existing knowledge of the sport, making the experience comfortable and inviting. He's well-equipped with rehab tools and was able to come up with a program specific to my ability and needs. Overall a very informative and pleasant experience!